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Truly special wine pairings

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This article was published 05/01/2024 (834 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobans are always excited to see which country’s wines will be highlighted at the festival and this year is no different. Celebrate the 21^st festival as it takes you on a journey to Argentina. Get ready to embrace your inner tango and enjoy several varieties of wine, including Argentina’s well-known Malbec’s and Torronté’s.

From January 21-27, 2024, you can enjoy a number of local events ranging from the ever-popular Public Tastings at the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg, the exciting Inspire Gala Dinner, and Intimate Wine Tastings pairing wines with delectable bites sure to expand and engage your palate. These events offer more than education and entertainment to those who attend them – they allow purchasers to support a worthy cause – Special Olympics Manitoba and its many athletes across the province with an intellectual disability.

Manitobans know that sport does more than offer a chance for a medal to be placed upon the neck or an opportunity to stand on a podium – participation provides excellent life experiences. Sports in general can build self-esteem, provide health benefits, and generate leadership skill-building opportunities.

These benefits often move beyond the athlete into the broader community. And with athletes who live with intellectual disabilities, the benefits obtained along their athletic journeys are even more important. Special Olympics Manitoba athletes also find a sense of belonging and a community.

This year’s Provincial team is comprised of 58 athletes who will represent the province on the national stage from February 26 – March 2. They will be competing in events such as alpine skiing, curling, floor hockey, snow shoeing, and more at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary.

Should our representatives win their category in Calgary, they may have the honour of representing Canada at the Special Olympics World Games in Italy in 2025.

Naturally, support is not free.  The cost for athletes to compete at these National Games in Calgary is $2000 per athlete.

Having community support — whether in spirit or financially — is vital.  This support is the goal of the Winnipeg Wine Festival; the festival strives to raise awareness for Special Olympics Manitoba, and to raise the funds to support Manitoba athletes with an intellectual disability.

It’s rare to be able to support a great cause and enjoy fantastic events at the same time – the Winnipeg Wine Festival does both! And now that you know more about the wonderful cause the Winnipeg Wine Festival supports, let’s explore the events themselves.

WineDown events are intimate wine tastings that offer appetizers or food pairings and are open to the public. Each one is unique and located at different venues around the city.

Wine Not? A North America Wine Event will be held on January 22 at the Delta Marriott. Down Under will feature Australian and New Zealand wines at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on January 23^rd. And Argentinian wines and food will be highlighted at the Leaf on January 24^th at the theme region event. Tickets are limited in number, so don’t wait as they are selling out quickly!

The Inspire Gala on Thursday, January 25^th features a wine reception, four-course wine and food parings — naturally highlighting wines of Argentina — and a live auction with wine, experience, and travel packages. The night will be Emceed by Hot 100.5’s Mark and Dilly, so it’s sure to be a great evening!

And then there are much anticipated Public Tastings. On Friday January 26^th and Saturday the 27^th, wine enthusiasts can head to the RBC Convention Centre to enjoy three hours of wine tasting, with a Winnipeg Wine Festival glass included in the ticket price as a memento to bring home.

To learn more about the great pairing of Special Olympics Manitoba and the Winnipeg Wine Festival, go to Support Special Olympics Manitoba | Winnipeg Wine Festival.